Practical Boat Owner — November 2017

S

erifos sits between its cousins
Sifnos and Kithnos in the
Western Cyclades. The three
small islands have much to offer, and
Serifos gave us a nice surprise as we
entered the large sheltered bay which
houses the main town and port of Livadi.
Rather than the small mole we were
expecting, we found it had a brand new
marina, or rather a substantial new town
quay with lazy lines at almost every berth,
plus water and electricity.
Clearly a lot of investment has gone
into this large concrete harbour, a sure
sign of an island on the up wanting
to attract more yachts to supplement
its income from the small hotel and
apartment visitors.
The lazy lines were well spaced too,
giving modest-sized boats plenty of room

without the forced fender rubbing of some

other places where we’d stayed.

The original mole is still there and now

forms part of the new complex, showing

just how much more space has been

provided. Depths are good too, and the

water is clear enough to easily see the

bottom. We were there in late May and

found everything to be free because, as

a taverna waiter told me, ‘They haven’t

employed anyone to run it yet, but a man

will come at five and turn on the water.’

The taverna opposite the quay offered

free showers if you ate in the restaurant.

The showers, though, were a little unusual

as they were in the apartment used by

the staff. They did laundry too.

Posted by the new water and electric

points, most of which were still wrapped

in plastic, were leaflets from a boat

business offering everything from repairs

to spares and a whole range of services.

Handy to know if you’re looking for help

in these more isolated islands.

Local landmarks

Along the quay we found three

supermarkets including a Carrefour,

which reflected the number of French

boats we saw in these islands. The shop

itself was a reasonable size for a small

port and had a great selection of fresh

fruit and vegetables. There were bakeries

Readers’ cruising destinations, near and far

Cruising Notes

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Phil Johnson is a

former BBC and ITV

journalist who enjoys

Greece with his wife

Fiona on their HR34.

He is the author of

The Little Blue Boat

children’s books.

About the Author

Surprising Serifos

Phil Johnson finds an Aegean gem with a new marina